[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 45 (Thursday, April 21, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 CONFERENCE ACTION ON BUDGET RESOLUTION

  Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I wish to address the Senate on the matter 
of the conference action between the House and Senate conferees on the 
budget resolution.
  There have been some rather surprising developments in the last few 
hours that have been speculated on to a great extent in the press and 
not a lot of discussion on the floor of the U.S. Senate. I compliment 
the chairman of the Budget Committee, Senator Sasser, for indicating, 
while he did not approve of the $26 billion in additional cuts that 
were taken essentially by the Senator from Iowa [Mr. Grassley], and 
this Senator from Nebraska, that he felt that was the Senate position 
and he thought he should try and live up to that. That is the true 
spirit of what conference reports are all about. I commend my friend 
and colleague, Senator Sasser, for that stand.
  I am somewhat puzzled by some high-ranking members on the Budget 
Committee selling out the Senate position at the beginning of the 
conference yesterday. I am advised by House Members that they, too, 
were surprised because the House of Representatives failed by only 14 
votes not to accept the additional budget cuts by the Senate Budget 
Committee, which held in debate on the Budget Committee and on the 
Senate floor. They said, at least, that the House and some of the 
leadership positions in the House, as I understand it, while not 
enthusiastic about the additional $26 billion in cuts in the budget to 
try and take a step of getting it under control, they were ready, 
willing, and able to come to some kind of a compromise.
  That was pretty much shattered when the ranking minority member of 
the Budget Committee in conference threw in the towel and agreed to 
sell out the position of the U.S. Senate in the early minutes of the 
conference between the House and the Senate.
  I will also say and hope that the conferees will take another look at 
this. I also hope that the White House, the agencies of the Federal 
Government, in particular the military, specifically the Joint Chiefs 
of Staff and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would come off 
the position that they have been frightened into: That the Exon-
Grassley cuts would come out of defense.
  As one of the originators of that amendment to cut defense, I want to 
say again it was not the intention of the Senator from Nebraska, nor do 
I think that those cuts should come out of defense. We have made cuts 
in that area, and I think the record shows the Senator from Nebraska 
has been a strong and viable supporter of national defense.
  I will simply say, Mr. President, in the rush by the White House, by 
the Pentagon, by some of the leaders of the Senate and some of the 
leaders in the House, they have been using what I think are scare 
tactics that are not well-founded, that if Exon and Grassley cuts are 
held, it would all come out of defense.
  I would like to put in the Record, Mr. President, the basis for the 
cuts, as this Senator sees it. I will simply say that if you take a 
look at the budget that came over to us from the President, you will 
see that in the discretionary program area, there were some freezes and 
there were some reductions. There were several programs that I am 
prepared to put in the Record that basically have nothing whatsoever to 
do with defense that could be used without touching the defense budget.
  I simply will point out that after you take the President's 
recommendation and take each and every program as against a freeze last 
year, you will see that the President froze several programs, but then, 
again, in addition to that, he increased the budget above the freeze by 
some $112 billion over a 5-year program.
  All of these programs are listed on the sheet that I will 
subsequently request be entered into the Record. What I am simply 
saying is that there are $112 billion in increases that the President 
has recommended over and above, and notwithstanding touching national 
defense, that could be and, in my opinion, should be the source of the 
cuts to reduce the deficit under the Exon-Grassley amendment.
  Out of these $112 billion, even if we accept all of the $26 billion, 
you would see the Exon-Grassley amendment still allows 75 percent of 
what the President wished to have for new initiatives would still be in 
place.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the cuts and the 
increases that I have just indicated that I think should be cut to try 
and get away from the fear tactics that are being used by the 
congressional leadership, in many cases by the White House and by the 
Pentagon, are not well-founded and do not contribute very much, in my 
opinion, to rational and reasonable discussion on the point in 
question.
  I ask unanimous consent that the discretionary add-ons and outlays 
compared to freeze sources--the source of this is the Senate Budget 
Committee markup material--be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

     Discretionary adds (in outlays) compared to a freeze--1995-99      
                                                                        
                                                                Millions
                                                                        
                                                                        
              FUNCTION 150--INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS                       
                                                                        
Foreign Aid...................................................    $1,327
Conduct of Foreign Affairs....................................     1,143
                                                                        
      FUNCTION 250--GENERAL SCIENCE, SPACE AND TECHNOLOGY               
NASA..........................................................       482
National Science Foundation...................................     1,124
                                                                        
                     FUNCTION 270--ENERGY                               
                                                                        
Energy Conservation...........................................     1,469
Energy Information and Policy.................................        69
                                                                        
        FUNCTION 300--NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT                 
                                                                        
EPA Operations................................................     1,557
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service................................       247
NRCS Conservation Programs....................................       284
EPA Water Infrastructure......................................       396
                                                                        
                   FUNCTION 350--AGRICULTURE                            
                                                                        
Farm Service Agency...........................................     4,702
Departmental Administration...................................       956
                                                                        
           FUNCTION 370--COMMERCE AND HOUSING CREDIT                    
                                                                        
NIST..........................................................     2,692
Bureau of Census..............................................     1,632
SEC Salaries and Expenses.....................................     1,326
SBA Business Loan Program Account.............................       620
International Trade Administration............................        65
                                                                        
                 FUNCTION 400--TRANSPORTATION                           
                                                                        
Transit Capital Grants........................................     1,679
Federal-aid Highways..........................................    11,095
High Speed Rail...............................................       117
Amtrak........................................................       936
Coast Guard Construction......................................       283
                                                                        
       FUNCTION 450--COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT                 
                                                                        
Project-based Community Development Grants....................       612
Colonias Assistance Program...................................       330
Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.............       379
Economic Development Loans....................................       143
Indian Land and Water Claim Settlements.......................       426
                                                                        
    FUNCTION 500--EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND SOCIAL SERVICES              
Education Reform..............................................     3,881
Education for the Disadvantaged...............................     3,970
School Improvement Program....................................     1,148
Special Education.............................................       727
Training and Employment Services..............................     4,800
Children and Family Services..................................     8,044
National Service..............................................     3,032
                                                                        
          FUNCTION 550--HEALTH SERVICES AND RESEARCH                    
                                                                        
National Institutes of Health.................................     6,150
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services....................     1,310
Health Resources and Services Administration..................       896
                                                                        
                    FUNCTION 570--MEDICARE                              
                                                                        
Medicare Administration.......................................       344
                                                                        
                 FUNCTION 600--INCOME SECURITY                          
                                                                        
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program.....................     1,722
Supplemental Security Income..................................     1,254
State Nutrition Programs......................................        27
Farmers Home Administration Rental Assistance.................       307
Homeless Housing Assistance...................................     1,494
HOPE..........................................................       166
Youthbuild....................................................       152
                                                                        
         FUNCTION 700--VETERANS BENEFITS AND SERVICES                   
                                                                        
Medical Care..................................................     5,684
General Operating Expenses....................................        62
                                                                        
            FUNCTION 750--ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE                     
                                                                        
Crime Control Fund............................................    17,516
FBI...........................................................       196
Immigration and Naturalization Service........................       514
U.S. Attorneys................................................       162
Legal Services Corporation....................................       488
Judicial Branch...............................................     1,948
Federal Prison Operations.....................................     5,142
                                                                        
               FUNCTION 800--GENERAL GOVERNMENT                         
                                                                        
General Services Administration...............................     2,272
IRS Administration............................................       304
IRS Information Systems.......................................     3,016
Federal Drug Control Programs.................................       294
                                                               ---------
      Total adds in budget markup materials (billions)........   113.113
                                                                        
                                                                        
Source: Senate Budget Committee markup materials.                       

  Mr. EXON. I thank the Chair, and I yield the floor.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from 
Connecticut.

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